What Is The Social Ecological Theory Of Resilience

Using systems theory this chapter will evaluate the effectiveness of within person characteristics, such as adaptive coping as well as factors external to the person, such as family support, neighbourhood networks, health provision, and government financial support and other factors that promote individual resilience. There are many variants of the systems theory, this paper will utilise the theory outlined by Bronfenbrenner, (1979) called the social ecological theory to take perspective on resilience. This view looks at the dimensions and resources in an individual and their larger social environment, as well as the interactions between them (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). It assumes that systems are a foundation of organisation where the properties

Avenues such as the family, churches, and the community where individuals get social support and guidance are considered by many authors as protective factors that foster resilience in individuals. Bronfenbrenner identifies group and individual activities such as playing, or reading as tools that people use to understand their world and formulate ideas about their place within it. Individual and group activities may help individuals develop strategies and approaches to deal with challenges in the future. However, processes function differently depending on the person and the context. This means that every individual experiences life differently and even the outcomes they face are different. This also explains how some people are resilient and some are not even if they are from the same background. Moreover, it means that a factor such as poverty may act as a protective or a risk factor for different people because of the context they are in. Development is not a passive process where one just sits back and allows time and the environment to have an effect on them. We act on the environment, seeking stimulation and interacting with other

(Waller, 2001). Families and communities are seen as protective factors that can offer an individual support and equip them with skills to face challenges and on the other hands the very same protective factors can cause negative outcomes for an individual. These risk and protective factors themselves are also believed to function at any systemic level and have the potential to either promote or prevent adaptational outcomes (Waller, 2001). Waller, (2001) mentioned that the ecological theory focuses on identifying risk and protective factors at multiple levels from the individual, to the social sphere, and in the environment. Moreover, the interaction between protective and risk factors is seen as a flexible process which is different most of the time change occurs within the environment and the individual (Egolf, Herrenkohl, & Herrenkohl,